Rail anchor



I Jan. 11 1927.

H. P. BLUM RAIL ANCHOR Filed Oct. 19 I 3 eten'ted Jan. 11,1927.

iJNi'E'ED STATES;

PATENT- cr mes.

HAROLD F. Baum, or CLEVELAND, onIo.

RAIL ANCHOR,

Application filed October 19, 1925. Serial No. 63,263.

to be anchored thereby and which will securely prevent the creeping of the rail by rigidly anchoring it to the railroad tie or other fixed abutment. V

Another object of my invention is to provide a rail anchor comprising buta single part specially constructed for the purpose, cooperating with a wedge element -which may, and preferably will be, an ordinary railroad spike, and which are available in quantities being of standard construction and in universal use wherever railroad rails are secured to railroad ties.

Another object of my invention is toprovide a rail anchor which is inherently very strong and which may be inexpensively manufactured and which will employ a minimum of materialin the making, thereby still further cutting down the cost of production.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will be apparent from the accompanying description of certain embodiments of my invention and in which description reference is had to the accompany-' ing drawings illustrative of such embodiments.

In the drawings Fig. 1' shows in transverse vertical section an embodiment of my invention applied to a railroad rail, also shown in vertical section, the same being in secured position on the rail base; 1

Fig. 2 showsa side elevational view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1 v

Fig. 3 shows a top plan view of the clamp element per se of the anchor illustrated'in the foregoing figures; V p

V Fig. 1 is a section of the element illustrated in Fig. 3 taken on line 1-4 thereof:

.Fig. 5 is a view-similar to that of Fig. 1

of a railroad rail and illustrating a modified form of my invention inside elevation, the anchor being illustrated as attached to the rail base; and

Fig. 6' isa section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5. V

Referring now first particularly to Figs.

'1 to 42 inclusive, and whichillustrate one form of my invention, at 1 I show a raii road rail comprising a tread portion 2, a web 3 and a base 4, the rail being of the usual and common construction. At 5 I show a rail anchor clamp element or yoke having rail flange engaging jaws 6 and 7, which jaws are joined by an integral intermediate portion 8. The element 5 comprises a mid-portion 8 having relatively angularly disposed-joined parts 9 and 10, there being upwardly extending ari ns 11 and 12 terminating in the jaws 7 andG, respectively. extending from the free ends of the joined portions 9 and 1.0.

The arm 11 is pierced at 27 to provide an opening for a wedging element 13, herein illustrated as being a standard railroad spike having a pointed end 14: and a flanged head The'angularlydisposed portions 9 and 10 adjacenttheir junction at 16 are provided 'with a preferably continuous groove 17 .The arm 11 projects substantially vertically as shown, Fig. 1, at an acute angle from the angular portion 9 of the clamp, whereas the arm 12 extends upwardly and inwardly in a preferably arcuate form terminating at 6 in ahooked end or jaw adapted to engage at 19 or 20, or preferably at both points 19 and '20, as illustrated, when the clamp is in position on the rail base illustrated.

' The arm ll-terminates "at- 7 in a preferably upwardly. inclined hooked end or jaw adapted to engage asat 21 with theupper surface of the rail flange. -I- preferably, as shown, make the angularly disposed portion 9 of the clamp, of shorter length than the portion 10 which carries at its end the a in 12, and join the two angularly disposed portions 9' and 10 at a point 16 disposed substantially to one side of the axis a -a of-t he-rail, and POSltlOllfl aw of thetype shown at '7 on that side of the rail axis on:

which is positioned the junction 16 of the angularly disposed portions 9 and 10 of the til) clamp, and provide a jaw of the type shown at (3 at a point opposite the end of the clamp.

Although such a construction strictly as described is not strictly imperative, I find that very favorable results may be secured where jaws of the types shown are positioned, as illustrated and described, relative to the position occupied by the junction point 16 and the rail axis aa. V

In applying the rail anchor of my invention to a rail, the clamp element is causet to have its jaws 6 and 7 contact with the upper surfaces of the rail base flanges by first hooking the jaw 6 over one of the rail flanges, and by advancing the clamp until the extreme edge 22 of the rail flange is positioned approximately at 22 between the arm 11 and the portion 10 of the clamp; then the other end of the clamp carrying the jaw 7 is lifted over the other rail flange, and the clamp moved transversely of the rail toward the position illustrated in Fig. 1.

he railroad spike 13 is then inserted through the opening 27 of the arm 11. and driven into engagement with the upper grooved surface 17 of the clamp, and the driving being continued, the end 1 1 of the spike will ride upwardly over the junction 16 of the clamp portions 9 and 10 and override the upper surface of the interinediat clamp portion, being positioned thereon within the grooved portion 18 of the angularly disposed clamp. portion 10 and the anchor taking the position substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and Continued driving of the spike will bring the under surface of the flanged head 15 into contact with the rail anchor clamp whereupon the portions of the rail anchor, or yoke, joining the jaws 6 and 7 will he strained by the application of weclging spike 13 interposed between the bottom face 24 of the rail base and the upper grooved surface 18 of the clamped portion 10, and will be distorted by the great pressure set up by the interposition of the spike, and the jaws 6 and 7 will be brought down tightly upon the upper face of the rail flange edge portions. 7

The rail anchor is formed of resilient metal and preferably of high carbon sheet steel. and of a thickness which will so resist the distorting influence of the interposed spike 13 that the same will beheld rigidly in position as illustrated in Fig. 1 between the bottom surface of the rail'and the upper surface of the clamp intermediate portion, but will. be sufficiently resilient to bend in its portions intermediate its jaws so as to cause the jaws to make firm biting or frietional con act with the rail flanges. I find that the relative lengths and degrees of angularity of the portions 9 and 10 illustrated and described, are favorable to the setting up of a tight clamping action, and

the case when a heavily loaded, fast moving train is heingdrawn over the rails or particularly when in such a case the brakes of such a train are suddenly applied.

' Referring now to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the construction and mode of operation thereof is substantially the same as that of the embodiment heretofore described except that instead of depending on the side edges of the clamp to make anchoring engagement with the tie 25 to prevent creeping of the rails, this engagement is replacedorsupplemented by a downwardly depending flange 36 secured to the clamp and preferably extending from the arm 11 thereof, but which not so connected to any other part of the clamp as to prevent relative bending of the other parts of the clamp to the arm 11. rilthough I have, in this form, to facilitate removal of the anchor, shown the head of the spike 13 in inverted position to that shown in Fig. 1, the spike may be inserted either way, as desired.

The modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 may be preferred in some cases where it is desired to make contact over a greater surface with the rail supporting tie 25.

Having thus described my invention in two embodiments, I am aware that my in veution may be practiced in many and v"- rious forms departing from those herein illustrated and described, but without dcparting from the spirit of my invention.

1 claim 1. A rail anchor comprising a yoke adapt ed to embrace the rail base and comprising a pair of inwardly turned jaws adapted to contact with the upper surface of the edge por tion thereof, of a yoke intermediate portion comprising three parts, one extending downwardly from one of the jaws and being pierced for insertion of a rigid wedge therethrouglutwo other portions underlying the rail base and joined at a point'to one side of the vertical plane passing throughthe axis of the rail, said wedge adapted to be forced between the bottom surface of'the rail and beyond saio junction and adapted to contact therewith and to deform the yoke intermediate portions.

2. In a rail anchor, a railroad spike, a resilient yoke adapted to embrace the rail upwardly bowed intermediate portion of the yoke, said upwardly bowed intermediate portion comprising an apex adapted to contact with the said wedge and to receive yoke distorting pressure from the inserted wedge,

* said wedge having substantially the form of a railroad rail spike.

11. In a rail anchor, a resilient yoke having inwardly turned terminal jaws joined by a substantially W-shaped intermediate portion, and a substantially non-yielding wedge adapted to be driven transversely of the rail between the bottom of the rail base and the upwardly bowed intermediate por tion of the yoke, said upwardly bowed intermediate portion comprising an apex adapted to contact with the said wedge and to receive yoke distorting pressure from the inserted wedge, said apex portion being grooved to direct the wedge transversely of the rail, and to hold it against displacement longitudinally thereof.

12. In a rail anchor, a resilient yoke having-inwardly turned terminal jaws joined by a substantially W-shaped intermediate portion, and a substantially non-yielding wedge adapted to be driven transversely of the rail between the bottom of the rail base and the upwardly bowed intermediate portion of the yoke, said upwardly bowed intermediate portion comprising an apex adapted to contact With the said wedge and to receive yoke distor-ting pressure from the inserted wedge, said upwardly bowed portion comprising a pair of arms joined at the apex, one of said arms being shorter than the other arm.

13. In .a rail anchor, a resilient yoke adapted to embrace the base flanges of a railroad rail comprising a pair of inwardly turned jaws, and an intermediate portion disposed below the rail base joining the jaws, a wedge-way groove upon the upper surface of the said intermediate portion extending transversely of the rail, and a railroad rail spike driven between the bottom of the rail base'and the said yoke intermediate portion, said groove directing said spike, and a railroad tie engaging flange secured to the yoke and extending along a side thereof adjacent that end of the yoke from which said spike is driven.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature this eighth day of October, 1925.

HAROLD P. BLUM, 

